Subject: Re: tail follow multiple files?
To: Simon Burge <simonb@wasabisystems.com>
From: Jaromir Dolecek <jdolecek@NetBSD.org>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 07/02/2005 20:40:08
On Sat, Jul 02, 2005 at 03:24:37PM +0100, David Laight wrote:
> On Sat, Jul 02, 2005 at 10:20:45PM +1000, Simon Burge wrote:
> > "Jeremy C. Reed" wrote:
> > 
> > > Any interest in having tail follow multiple files?
> > 
> > pkgsrc/misc/xtail works well.  For example, it notices when a file
> > is removed and reopened, which works well for log files.
> 
> 'tail -F' will also notice a file being unlinked and recreated.
> You don't want this to be the default behaviour as it is expensive.

It's not really expensive with kqueue - you can get automatic kevent
when the file is unlinked. I don't know if current implementation
of -F uses that, tho. 

Having tail support -f/-F with more files might be useful - go ahead :)
Especially if it's just matter of bringing the FreeBSD changes to our
tree.

It might also be useful to add possibility to print the GNU-tail-like
verbose warning when switching to new file - perhaps via -v?

Jaromir
-- 
Jaromir Dolecek <jdolecek@NetBSD.org>            http://www.NetBSD.cz/
-=- We can walk our road together if our goals are all the same;     -=-
-=- We can run alone and free if we pursue a different aim.          -=-